Curiosity Leads To Zubats
by 80'sNintendo
Summary: Ruto is turning fifteen. All she wants is a pokemon so that she can fulfill her dreams of traveling and conquering Hoenn's gyms, and maybe even the Elite Four! Her parents can't afford to get her a traditional pokemon... but things never turn out as planned anyway, right?
1. Holding on to sunsets

Ruto woke to an alarm blaring, "PIKA! PIKA! PIKA!" She hurriedly silenced it and pulled on her robe. The clock read 5:30 A.M., but Ruto was a morning person. She tiptoed out of her room as quietly as she could and walked through the kitchen toward the door.

As she reached for the knob, the sound of small, bare feet echoed behind her. She looked back to see her little brother Ralis smiling up at her in his totodile pajamas. Though it seemed a bit odd to Ruto's friends back in Johto, her whole family was prone to waking up early in the morning.

Ralis grabbed her hand. "Are you going out to watch the sunrise again?" He asked.

Ruto smiled. "Yeah I am, would you like to come?"

She opened the door, trying to avoid the usual squeak it made at exactly the wrong times. She pulled Ralis through the door as he giggled, dragging his manectric toy behind him.

"Come on Ralis, we have to hurry if we're gonna make it to our secret base on time!" Ruto didn't have a real secret base (that required a pokemon move), but her and Ralis enjoyed pretending to be real pokemon trainers. They made their way around the few other houses in Littleroot Town and starting climbing up a small hill near the Pokemon Lab.

Ruto looked to the dark sky as the first taillows sang their songs. The sun was barely above the ground, just lighting up the edge of the town pond. Ruto and Ralis made it to the top of the hill and approached a scraggly tree that had lost most of its leaves. Ruto climbed onto the lowest branch and motioned for Ralis to grab her hand. She pulled him up and they climbed a few feet higher.

Slowly, the sun rose above the horizon and the two mesmerized siblings stared in awe. Though they had a significant age gap between them (Ruto was about to turn fifteen and Ralis was halfway through his sixth year), they got along surprisingly well. Ruto wouldn't hesitate to call Ralis her best friend, and Ralis looked to her like she was a superhero out of one of his comic books. They were different from the other kids in town, and everyone knew it.

The Zora family had just moved to the Hoenn region from Johto for Mr. Zora's job. Ruto had been having a tough time adjusting to this new life, and the only thing keeping her from crying herself to sleep every night was her brother. Here, most kids had a pokemon by the time they turned eight or nine, but Ruto's parents couldn't afford to keep one. The other kids in town were only interested in trading and pokemon battles, so the Zora children were mostly ignored.

Ruto's fifteenth birthday was coming up, and she was hoping that maybe, just maybe, her parents could find enough money to get her a starter pokemon. Her dream was to go out on an adventure with a pokemon and challenge the various gyms in the region. She wasn't sure which starter pokemon she would choose, but she would be happy with any of the three. Back in Johto, she had wanted a cyndaquil, but those weren't native here. She hadn't been out of Littleroot Town yet, but she had already seen around six species of pokemon that she didn't recognize. Hoenn was very different from Johto.

The town slowly came awake as the sun rose higher. Ruto jumped from the half-dead tree and held out her arms to help Ralis down. The two friends walked toward their small house, listening to the sound of the surskits skimming the pond. Their neighbor, a fourteen-year-old boy named Tyler, walked out of his house carrying his beloved spinda that his dad had bought for him. He walked past the Zoras, ignoring them completely and nearly pushing Ralis out of the way. Ruto didn't understand why the town kids disliked them so much, what had they ever done wrong? She rolled her eyes at the immature kids. They all based their opinions on who had the coolest/cutest/strongest pokemon, which was just plain stupid.

Ruto's mom met them at the door, smiling. "What are you two doing up so early? Ready for another day?"

The siblings nodded, though it was usually difficult to entertain themselves all day. They grabbed some breakfast inside, and Ruto was once again lost in her thoughts of the world of pokemon that she so desperately wished to be a part of.


	2. Bagon just wants to sleep

**Hey guys! I just figured out how to write author's notes, so here's my disclaimer: I do not own the Pokemon franchise (if only!) and I do not own the names Ruto, Ralis, and Kaladin from Legend of Zelda and The Stormlight Archive. Anyway, here's my next chapter, so I hope you enjoy! :)**

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The next morning, Ruto woke up and took in a shaky breath. Today was the day! She just knew that her parents would get her that pokemon, she just knew it! She looked at her clock and saw that it was seven o'clock in the morning. She'd decided to sleep in later so her parents would already be awake when she woke up.

She dashed into the kitchen to find her mom, dad, and Ralis all eating breakfast. They looked up and smiled at her and she sat down with them to eat. They all told her happy birthday and that they made her favorite breakfast, bacon with a side of more bacon. She laughed, saying, "Wow guys, you know me so well!"

Ralis shyly pulled a small gift out from under the table and handed it to Ruto. Ruto was surprised, he'd never been able to get her anything before. She unwrapped the small box and found a chiseled rock in the shape of a flower.

"Thank you so much Ralis, its beautiful!" she whispered, so thankful for her thoughtful brother. Her dad winked at her and pulled out a slightly larger box. Ruto gasped. It was just the right size for… but she shouldn't get her hopes up too much…!

She opened the box, and inside was lying a pokeball. "NO WAY?!" She screamed, "YOU GOT ME A POKEMON!?"

Her parents looked at each other as she threw the ball, trying to get her new friend to come out, but nothing happened. Her father grabbed her shoulder and looked her in the eyes.

"Ruto, it's only a pokeball. We couldn't afford to buy you a starter pokemon, so we got you a pokeball instead. We figured you might be able to catch one of the wild ones around town."

Nothing could upset Ruto, because she finally had a chance to make her dreams come true.

"I'm going to catch the coolest pokemon ever, and it's gonna be great!" She jumped up and down, too excited to sit still. Ralis looked almost equally excited, his face mirroring Ruto's.

"Well what're we waiting for?" Ruto asked Ralis. "Let's go find a Pokemon!"

They both ran outside and looked around for any type of pokemon they could see. Sadly, there seemed to be none around.

"Let's go look in the forest," Ruto whispered. Ralis looked at her and cocked his head sideways.

"We're not 'spose to, it's dangerous!"

Ruto shook her head. "It'll be okay; we'll have a pokemon to protect us by the time we get out anyway!"

Ralis couldn't seem to argue with this logic, so they snuck off into the forest. When they were a few minutes past the first trees, they heard a noise and Ralis jumped.

"What was that…?" He asked, his voice revealing a hint of fear. They turned around and saw a slakoth lazing in a tree.

"What about that 'un?" Ralis asked. "Are you gonna catch it?"

Ruto thought about it for a moment, then replied, "I don't think so. It looks way too lazy to be any good."

The siblings moved on farther into the forest until they came upon a cave.

"Let's go in there!" Ruto suggested. There're bound to be some cool pokemon in a cave!"

Ralis was hesitant, but eventually followed Ruto inside. There were a few holes in the ceiling, but Ruto could only see a little bit around her. She suddenly wondered if this was actually a good idea after all. Some pokemon could be really dangerous…

"Hey look at that!" Ralis whisper-shouted excitedly. He pointed toward a blue silhouette in a corner of the cave. "I've read about those; it's called a bagon! They're supposed to evolve into something really strong!"

Ruto liked the sound of that, and decided to try her luck with this pokemon. She reared her arm to throw, but as soon as she let go, a screech sounded from above. As if in slow motion, a zubat spun through the air, falling downwards, and got caught in the crossfire of Ruto's aim. Ruto sucked in a breath of air as the pokeball stopped in front of the zubat and opened, a strange glow pulling it inside. The ball shook once, twice, three times, then made a final click and landed on the ground in front of Ruto with a loud THUNK.

The noise was very loud and the kids flinched, but they both turned as they heard a growl behind them. Apparently, the noise had woken up the bagon, and he didn't seem very happy about it.

The bagon roared, a few orange sparks escaping from his powerful jaws. It didn't look big enough to be truly threatening, but the look of pure rage in its eyes made Ruto flinch. She grabbed her pokeball from the cave floor and reached for Ralis's hand to lead him out of the cave. As they turned to go, Ruto gasped as the bagon rushed toward her at an alarming speed and crashed into the back of her legs.

She screamed, and tumbled backwards. She thumped against the cold ground and knocked her head against a column of rock. Everything turned fuzzy, and Ruto could only think about what might happen to Ralis. This bagon was obviously stronger than she had assumed, and what if it decided to use a fire attack on her brother?

In a weak attempt to help Ralis, Ruto grabbed her pokeball from where she had dropped it and released the zubat from inside.

A strange glow was emitted from the ball, and zubat was transported in front of the siblings, in between them and the angry bagon. Unfortunately, zubat seemed just as scared as Ruto.

"Attack, zubat!" She pleaded, and the zubat hesitated.

The zubat sighed dramatically, and turned toward the bagon. A look of resignation crossed his small face, almost as if he was preparing to faint, as if he was somehow used to it. He suddenly darted toward the bagon, latching onto his foreleg and letting forth a strange green glow.

"Leech life," she heard her brother mumble. "Not a very strong attack, but this zubat seems pretty young…"

Ralis had a tendency to mumble when he was nervous or upset.

The bagon swung his arm, shaking the zubat loose. It didn't look very hurt, only agitated. Maybe even angrier than before. It roared again, and Ruto was sure they were done for.

The bagon reared itself toward Ralis, ready to charge. Out of the corner of her eye, Ruto saw a blue jet of what looked like water, heading straight for the bagon. The bagon was caught completely off guard.

He was thrown up against the wall of the cave, thrashing against the water trapping him in midair and shrieking with anger. Ruto looked toward the cave entrance, trying to get a glimpse of whoever had saved her. A mudkip stood tall, continually shooting a beam of water from its mouth. Behind him stood a trainer, one of the boys who lived in town. He directed the mudkip to let the bagon go, then ordered a barrage of attacks to weaken it further. His grey eyes took on a serious quality when he spoke to his pokemon, and he repeatedly reached up toward his head to straighten his white hat.

"Mudkip, that's enough, we don't want to make him faint," he ordered.

Mudkip backed off, and the boy reached into his bag and brought out a pokeball. He threw it, and the wild bagon was pulled inside. It shook three times, then clicked. A smirk crossed the boy's face, and he walked past Ralis to grab the pokeball.

Finally, the boy seemed to realize that he wasn't alone. He looked toward Ruto, who was still lying on the ground cradling her pounding head. He walked over to her nonchalantly, and asked, "You're okay, right? You seem to be breathing and you don't look 100% dead, so I think you're fine."

Ruto nearly laughed at the boy's arrogance and lack of sympathy.

"I'm fine," she replied as she slowly rose from the floor. "Thanks for helping us out, by the way."

The boy laughed. "Yeah, luckily I happened to be looking for a bagon to add to my team, so when I passed by it all turned out great. Your brother seems a bit off though, you should check on him." And with that, the boy turned on his heel and walked away.

Ralis looked dazed, but overall okay. Ruto looked up as her zubat flew around her head, clearly excited by the fact that he was still conscious.

"I think I'll call you Kaladin, after a character in a book I read," Ruto smiled. "He protected people even though the odds were against him, and he always ended up okay."

Her thoughts wondered to the boy who had saved them. He seemed like a bit of a jerk, but that was common in Littleroot Town. Still, Ralis and herself were lucky that the boy had showed up. She didn't want to think about what would've happened if he hadn't. She let out a sigh, and pulled Ralis through the cave exit. It was probably time to get home and explain what had happened and why Ralis looked like he had seen a ghost. Kaladin followed, and Ruto couldn't help but smile again, realizing that she had caught her first pokemon.


	3. Are all boys like that?

**Hey guys! Here's another chapter for you! I'm trying to post every two days, but that may not last forever because I am a considerably busy person. Anyway, in this chapter, Ruto actually makes a friend so yay for that and enjoy! :D**

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Ruto looked back toward Ralis as they walked home.

"Are you okay?" She asked, concerned.

"I'm a-alright" Ralis stammered. He was still shaking, and his eyes kept darting back toward the forest.

"Does your head still hurt?" He asked.

"A little bit," she replied, "But not as badly as before."

They reached the front of their house and Ralis held the door open for his sister. One day, she thought, he is gonna be quite the lady charmer.

Their mom was sitting in the living room, and she looked at Ruto expectantly when she heard the door slam.

"Did you catch a Pokemon?" She asked excitedly.

Ruto smiled and held out her pokeball, releasing her zubat. Her mom flinched a little.

"Wow honey! That's great! But what made you choose that one exactly...?"

Ruto shrugged, embarrassed. "It was kind of an accident, actually. I was aiming for a bagon that we found in a cave and it just sort of happened."

Kaladin's face fell, and Ruto hurriedly explained, "But I'm much happier with zubat than I would be if I had gotten that mean-spirited bagon. Kaladin is really brave, mom!"

Her mom smiled. "I'm just glad you're happy, sweetie. And I'm glad you're safe!"

At this her expression hardened a bit. "What were you thinking, anyway? Going into a cave without anyone to protect you is very dangerous! Don't do it again, okay?"

She looked worried, so Ruto nodded. This seemed to make her mom feel better, and she brightened up.

"I suppose now that you have Kaladin, he can protect you from other pokemon." Her mom looked up at the zubat, who was hanging upside down from the ceiling fan. "He'll need some training, of course," she said skeptically. "You need strong friends that are able to protect you, Ruto."

Ruto smiled as Kaladin flew down from the ceiling and landed on her arm.

Ralis walked over and hesitantly scratched him on the head. "Thanks for protecting us, Kaladin," he whispered. "You are way braver than me. I just stood there while Ruto got hurt."

Ruto shook her head. "There's nothing you could've done Ralis, don't be upset. I'm just glad that we're both okay."

Ralis smiled and hugged his sister. He wished that he was bigger and strong enough to protect her, but he was only six years old. Someday, he'd be the one protecting people, he just knew it. He was going to be a pokemon ranger, a hero who protected people and pokemon alike, and he was going to be the best that he could be. He looked up at his big sister, and knew that he could do it.

Ruto's mom looked at them both, grateful that her two kids got along so well.

"Ruto, honey," she said. "Can you run by the store for me today? We're out of milk."

Ruto nodded, and Ralis followed her out the door. Littleroot Town was small, but there was a library, a small grade school, and a general store. The two siblings walked along a dirt path toward the store, and Ruto suddenly stopped in her tracks.

"What is it?" Asked Ralis.

Ruto shook her head. "It's nothing, just a thought."

Ralis crossed his arms. "Tell me!" He demanded. "No one stops in the middle of the road for 'It's nothing'!"

Ruto sighed. "I have a pokemon now, right? I've always wanted to be a pokemon trainer, to challenge the gyms. I just don't think that Mom and Dad will let me leave. Besides that, I think I'll miss you guys too much!" She looked at Ralis, silently begging for his advice.

He tilted his head to the side a little and thought really hard. "Well," he said slowly, "I think that you should definitely try. This is your dream, and Mom and Dad know that. You're old enough to travel by yourself, and though I'll really miss you, I think that you should go."

Ruto grinned. "You're some six-year-old, you know that? What a speech!" She laughed as they reached the wooden door of the Littleroot General Store. Her zubat climbed onto her shoulder and looked through the open door toward the aisles of various foods.

"Zuuuu…" He murmered sadly, and his belly rumbled.

"Oh Kaladin," Ruto exclaimed, "You're probably starving! I'll buy you some food!" Kaladin perked up, and wagged his ears in excitement. As Ruto was about to walk through the door, a tall boy ran straight into her and knocked her over. For the second time today, Ruto was back on the cold hard ground.

"Oh sorry, didn't see yah there!" The boy yelled, and ran off toward a small blue house.

"What an idiot!" Ruto growled. "That's the same boy from earlier, the same arrogant trainer!"

She was proven right as a mudkip walked out the door, looking confused.

"He went that way, toward the blue house," Ruto said, climbing up from the ground. The mudkip nodded toward her and ran off in the same direction as the grey-eyed boy.

A few seconds later, a woman in her early forties walked out of the door and gave an apologetic smile to the two siblings.

"I'm sorry, that's my son Brendan," She informed them. "He doesn't have the best manners; I'm not sure where I went wrong with that one…"

"That's alright ma'am," Ruto said half-heartedly. "He did help us earlier, at least."

The woman smiled, apparently pleased that her son wasn't a total monster. Ruto shrugged and pulled Ralis along into the store.

* * *

After they were done shopping, Ruto and Ralis thanked the clerk and left the store.

"So you really think I'm ready to go on a journey?" Ruto asked.

"Sure," Ralis answered. "It'll be good for you!"

Ruto grinned. "Then I'll talk to Mom and Dad about it when we get home!"

Kaladin flapped his wings in excitement. It seemed that he was ready for an adventure as well. Ruto stood up a bit taller and couldn't help but grin wider. Everything was falling into place! She closed her eyes, feeling the warmth of the sun on her face, and thought that things couldn't get any better…

"AHH!" A voice gasped, as Ruto felt herself falling (again). She looked up to find a pair of ghostly green-grey eyes staring back down at her, about three inches from her face. She guessed that she must've knocked this boy over when she was daydreaming, and she cursed the bad timing of her clumsiness.

"Umm…" She breathed. "Sorry."

The boy seemed to realize that they were in an awkward situation, and he jumped up and backed away.

"That's alright," he stammered. "It happens, I guess!" He rubbed his shoulder nervously and coughed. "My name's Wally…"

Ruto stood up and brushed the dirt off of her clothes. "My name's Ruto, and this is my brother Ralis," she pointed toward her brother who was wringing his hands nervously. Wally coughed again violently, hunching over a bit.

"Are you alright?" Ruto asked worriedly.

The boy recovered and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine, I just have a few breathing problems." He laughed half-heartedly and attempted to fix his ruffled green hair. "Nothing too serious though." He looked toward Kaladin as he circled above their heads.

"Is he yours?" He asked, a look of fascination in his eyes.

"Yep, just caught him today!" Ruto said proudly. She met the boy's eerie green eyes and saw something familiar in them. Hope, maybe? Did this boy want a pokemon as bad as she had wanted one?

Their gazes locked, and Ruto felt her cheeks heat up. Why did she have to be so awkward about everything?

She turned to Ralis, saying, "It's time to go home buddy." She glanced back at Wally and stammered, "See you around?"

Wally blushed, thinking about how awkward his first impression must've been. "Ye-yeah sure. See ya."

Ruto rushed the rest of the way home, too embarrassed to talk. She ran straight into her room and calmed down. Now for the task at hand, she thought. Convincing her parents of her mission might not be too easy. She sighed and fell back onto her bed. It was time for a plan.


	4. Spinda really hypnotizes

**Hey guys! I didn't post anything yesterday, so here's my longest chapter yet to make up for it! Enjoy!**

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Ruto closed her eyes. It would be nice to say that her brain was alive with ideas, but she had somehow drawn a blank. Was it really a big deal? She just wanted to go on a journey… by herself… quite a long way away… for quite a while.

She wasn't sure that her parents would agree with the thought of her leaving the house at age fifteen, but she had to try. She reached under her bed and pulled out her dusty old cyndaquil doll, stroking its head softy.

"I don't know what to do Sprite," Ruto whined. "I could just ask nicely, but using the same tone that I would use to ask for chocolate milk just doesn't seem creative enough!"

She hugged her childhood doll against her, feeling like a kid, and took a deep breath. She wasn't being unreasonable… was she?

She looked toward her half-open door as Kaladin attempted to flutter in. Too bad his wingspan was a bit longer than the opening. Ruto winced as she heard the inevitable crash, and Kaladin spun to a stop on her grey carpet.

"Zuu!" He screeched, but he didn't seem hurt. He rose off the floor and landed on Ruto's outstretched arm. She wasn't sure how a pokemon so clumsy could balance on her shoulder without legs, but who was she to question nature?

"Hey Kal," she cooed. "How was your breakfast?"

Kaladin twitched his ears, and Ruto nodded.

"Ear twitch, huh? I guess I'll find out what that means in a minute."

Ruto climbed from her bed and stretched, trying her best not to knock Kaladin off of his moving perch. She started down the hallway and smelled bacon frying in the kitchen. She grinned and put a jump in her step. Ear twitch must be a good sign, she thought.

Her mom looked up from the delicious masterpiece she was creating and greeted Ruto. "Morning hun," she said in her sing-song voice. "Sleep okay?"

Ruto nodded, though Kaladin had woken her a few times as he repeatedly fell from her ceiling fan.

Ralis came lumbering in, weighed down by the blankets tied to his back. "Morn'n," he mumbled and bunched up his fists to rub sleep from his eyes. He yawned, and Ruto soon found herself doing the same. Ralis' demeanor was often contagious.

"Did Dad already go to work?" Ruto asked.

"No sweetie, he's in the bedroom putting on his shoes. He's about to leave though. Why?" Her mom put the bacon out on a big paper plate and turned the stove off.

Ruto grabbed the plate and stuffed her mouth with bacon. "Jurst curiurs," she mumbled in between bites. Ralis laughed at her slurred speech and stole the bacon plate away before his sister could hog it all down. Ruto stole it back a few minutes later and gave some bacon to Kaladin, wondering if ear twitch meant he was still hungry.

Kaladin happily dug into the fried food, munching the crispy bacon with his fangs. He looked up as a hand reached for the plate and saw Ruto's dad smiling down at him.

"Hey Kal," he laughed, "Save some for me!"

Ruto smiled. Yesterday she had introduced her dad to Kaladin and they had taken to each other right off the bat, if you'll excuse the pun.

Kaladin flew back to his spot on Ruto's shoulder and wrapped his tails securely around her arm.

So that answers the balance question. Sort of.

Ruto finished her last mouthful of bacon and was about to present her wayward speech when a cry sounded from outside. Alarmed, she rushed for the door and threw it open. About twenty yards from the house, a green haired boy was sprawled out on the ground. He turned and groaned, and met Ruto's eyes.

It was that boy from yesterday! Ruto searched her memory, trying to remember his name… Wally! That was it.

She looked back at him and realized that there were three older boys standing over him. How had she not noticed them a second ago? She ran forward and stepped in front of the tallest and meanest looking boy. It was her neighbor Tyler, the snobby rich kid.

"Hey!" Ruto yelled at him. "What do you think you're doing?!" She noticed her parents watching her, her mom taking a step forward and her dad gently pulling her arm back. The sign was clear. Let Ruto handle it, let's see how she does.

Tyler sneered. "He was messing with my spinda. My dad bought it for me!"

A look of horror showed on Wally's face. "I would never hurt a pokemon! I was just playing with him!" He pushed himself off the ground and stood beside Ruto, checking her expression to see if she believed him.

Ruto crossed her arms. "Really Tyler? Are you so in love with your spinda that someone else going near him makes you violently jealous?" She smirked, waiting for Tyler's thick head to realize what she meant. She didn't hold her breath though.

A look of fury shone in Tyler's eyes. "Just don't go near him again, understand? My dad paid good money for him! He was bred to be the best!"

Ruto held back a laugh. She guessed that owning a purebred pokemon helped Tyler sleep at night.

Tyler and his gang glanced at Ruto's parents, finally realizing that there were grown-ups around, and Tyler shot a glare at Wally and Ruto. The gang walked off, probably to compare the stats of their pokemon or brag about the quality of paper that their pedigrees were printed on.

Ruto's family went back inside, glad that nothing had happened but proud of Ruto for standing up to bullies. Kaladin made a "hmmph" noise from her shoulder, as if he had told the boys off himself. He stuck his head up proudly and nodded to Wally.

Wally turned away from Ruto and let out a heavy cough. He didn't seem hurt, just a bit disheveled, but Ruto wasn't sure.

"Are you alright?" Ruto asked, a bit worried.

"I'm fine," Wally answered. "They just pushed me, that's all. Tyler's spinda was twirling around here and I got closer to watch him. Pokemon sort of amaze me, you know?"

Ruto nodded, letting him finish his story.

"When the spinda saw me, he spun toward me and climbed onto my lap. He was really friendly and I guess he likes meeting new people. Tyler saw me holding him and freaked. I guess he thinks I'm not worthy or something?" Wally laughed hesitantly, and ran his hand through his messy green hair. "Not that I care what he thinks."

Ruto grimaced. Why were people so mean? She shook her head and spotted a figure out of the corner of her eye. She wouldn't have cared, but she turned and saw the same mudkip from the day before sitting on the lap of the jerk trainer Brendan. On the roof of her house.

"What are you doing on my house?" She hissed. "Get down before you fall and I get sued!"

The boy hopped down (yeah, he jumped off the roof) and put his mudkip on the ground. "I liked the part about Tyler's love affair with his spinda," he smirked. "It was quite entertaining to watch him blow a gasket trying to figure out how offensive your statement was."

Ruto huffed. "How long have you been up there?"

"Only since your friend here decided to anger the gang of idiots," he replied smoothly. "Which was a dumb idea by the way. Don't go near Tyler's pokemon unless you're prepared to battle." Without another word, Brendan the jerk turned and walked off, his mudkip strutting behind him.

Ruto groaned. That guy was annoying! She turned back to Wally and sighed. At least he wasn't hurt. She nodded to him and turned to go back home.

"Wait!" She felt cold fingers touch her wrist. She turned and found Wally standing right in front of her, his green-grey eyes staring intently into hers. "Um, thanks for helping me. I'm not that great with words like you are, so I couldn't have talked my way out of that situation. And even though I'm taller, there were three of them. So thanks." He blushed and turned away.

Ruto was surprised. It seemed as though most guys would get mad if a girl tried to stand up for them, but Wally seemed to acknowledge her as an equal. Almost like Ralis.

"You're welcome!" She beamed. "You're different, you know?"

A light blush crept into Wally's cheeks and he hid his face in his bangs. "What do you mean?" He asked awkwardly.

Ruto was suddenly very self-conscious. "Umm… you aren't a jerk that only cares about labels and being popular… but I guess I don't really know you that well. We did only meet yesterday."

Wally nodded. "Maybe so, but I can already tell that you're a great person." His face was pink by now. "You're one of those good Samaritan people, the ones that turn out to be heroes someday."

Ruto's face matched Wally's. No one except Ralis had ever come close to saying something like that to her. She laughed nervously and smiled, this was kind of weird!

Wally smiled too. It was almost like he had a friend, and she was way better than any one of Tyler's dumb proxies. He turned around and coughed again, then stood up and faced Ruto. "Are you doing anything today?" He asked.

"Umm…" Ruto thought about her plans to brainwash her parents into letting her leave, but that could wait. "Nope!"

"Cool," Wally said. "I want to show you something. Your zubat will love it, I think."

Ruto nodded. "Wait a sec, I need to ask my parents!" She jogged toward her house and almost ran over her dad when he walked out the door to leave for work.

"Hey dad, can I go hang out with my friend?" She asked, and pointed toward Wally who was staring at the ground awkwardly.

"Sure," Mr. Zora replied. "But be back before lunch, alright?"

Ruto nodded. "That's fine! See ya!"

She turned back to Wally and smiled. She didn't know this guy too well, but something told her that she could trust him. But hey, maybe it was just her hormones acting up.

She walked off with Wally, Kaladin perched securely on her shoulder, and looked back at her house to see Ralis peeking out the window. He smiled and waved, but Ruto knew that he wished he could come with her. He was just too nice to ask.

Ruto wondered where they were going (Littleroot Town wasn't very big) but she didn't ask. She'd surely find out in a few minutes, right?


	5. Just a walk through the woods

**Here's another chapter, and it's my favorite so far! Enjoy!**

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Ruto glanced ahead of her. Wally seemed to be heading toward the forest. Did he come here by himself a lot? It seemed kind of dangerous without a pokemon.

She watched his green hair stir as a faint breeze brushed by. She'd lived in Littleroot Town for almost two months now, which made her wonder why she hadn't ever seen Wally around. As they reached the tree line, Wally turned back to make sure she was following, then stepped through the underbrush.

"Watch your step, you never know what's hiding in the grass," Wally warned her, and Ruto took a step back. She wasn't so sure about this anymore. Wally saw the look on her face and hurriedly explained, "But don't worry! You're safe with me, I promise!"

Hesitantly, Ruto followed him through the woods, worried about the poison-type pokemon that could be crawling around. She made sure to step in Wally's footprints, his big shoes clearing out a path for her.

"Where exactly are we going?" Ruto asked. "The woods are kind of dangerous."

Wally turned back to answer her, but stopped as the tall grass rustled a few feet behind them. Zubat twitched his ears uneasily, wondering what could be following them, and why.

Suddenly, a poochyena pounced out of the foliage, growling at the two teens. He was a bit darker in color than most poochyenas, and his teeth gleamed threateningly. Ruto jumped, then looked at zubat.

"Kaladin, attack it!"

Kaladin shook his head furiously. He didn't stand a chance against that wolf… though it did seem like it was only playing around.

"Oh no you don't!" Ruto yelled. "How else are you gonna get stronger, Kal?" She gave him a soft push, and he glided to the ground, a rebellious look on his face. He growled back at Ruto but decided to just go with it after he saw the angry look on her face. He turned to the poochyena, preparing himself for battle.

"Okay Kal," Ruto called. "I haven't seen most of your moves, so just do what you can for a while."

Kal screeched back, and flew toward the poochyena in a low arch. The poochyena side-stepped and dodged his attack, crouching low for his upcoming move. Poochyena leaped out of the grass and pulled Kaladin out of the air with a tackle attack, and Kaladin cried out as he hit the ground.

"Come on Kaladin!" Ruto cried. "Use an attack!"

Kaladin grunted and let out a noise that made Ruto and Wally stumble. The foe poochyena's eyes glazed over and he stumbled as well. He walked in a circle for a second before he ran into a tree. Kaladin smirked.

"That's supersonic," Wally observed. "It has a pretty low accuracy rate, but it confuses the enemy when it does work."

Kaladin landed on the poochyena and bit his paw, a soft green glow coming from his fangs. Ruto shuddered. Sucking out another pokemon's life energy seemed kind of creepy, but it appeared that her zubat only had two attacks to work with anyway. Kaladin stood a bit taller, his strength returned. He flew upward, narrowly avoiding a swipe at him from the dazed poochyena.

Kaladin flew down in front of the poochyena and made a scary face, then let forth an unfamiliar screech, and the poochyena howled in shock.

"It looks like your zubat learned astonish!" Wally yelled. "Maybe he has a chance after all!"

Kaladin used astonish again, and the wild poochyena fell over, his eyes swirling with dizziness. The proud zubat fluffed his short fur and took a bow toward the impressed trainers. Ruto ran up and hugged him, screaming, "KAL! YOU DID IT!"

Kaladin screeched happily, and turned back to the fainted poochyena. Ruto looked toward him, concerned.

"What are we going to do about poochyena?" She asked. "We can't just leave him here fainted!"

The dark poochyena lay in a patch of grass, unmoving. His eyes were open, still spinning, but he was otherwise still. Kaladin perched on his side and nudged his head, trying to wake the unconscious pokemon.

Slowly, poochyena stirred, and opened his shadowed auburn eyes. He looked up at the two trainers as Wally pulled an oran berry out of his bag.

"It's all I have," he offered, "But it'll at least help a little." Wally knelt down, holding the berry in front of the young pokemon. Poochyena licked it up, and some light returned to his eyes. He tried to stretch, and Kaladin flapped his wings to move out of the way. Poochyena stumbled a bit, still disoriented. The supersonic and astonish attacks hadn't quite worn off yet.

Ruto figured that the pokemon was okay by now, so her and Wally turned away to continue on their mission. After a few steps, poochyena howled and attempted to follow them but fell on his side again. Wally opened his bag and walked back toward poochyena.

"I know it's not the best idea," he admitted, "But you can ride in my backpack if you want? That is, if you wanted to come with us, I mean."

Poochyena nodded in agreement and Wally picked him up and helped him settle inside his bag. He stuck his head and his forepaws out of the opening and seemed pretty comfortable, despite the situation. Wally smiled happily. It was almost as if this was his pokemon, and his friend. He didn't have any pokeballs of course, so it was kind of unrealistic, but it was okay to dream.

"We're almost there," he informed Ruto, and took a turn past a rather tall tree. All of a sudden, Wally stopped and Ruto nearly ran into him.

"We're here!" Wally exclaimed, and Ruto looked around, confused. Wally turned to the tree they had walked around and grabbed ahold of a wooden plank nailed to the bark. "It's my treehouse," he said sheepishly. "Almost like a real secret base, huh?"

Ruto looked up and saw that the wooden planks continued up pretty high in the tree.

"Alright," she remarked. "I'm really glad that I'm not scared of heights!"

Wally started up the tree, and Ruto waited a few seconds before following. After a minute or so of climbing, Wally made it to a wooden platform connected to the tree and climbed onto it. He reached down to help Ruto and pulled her up beside him. They were standing pretty close, and Ruto realized just how much taller Wally was than her. Her head only came up to his shoulders and she was a bit shocked at this realization. She was considered tall back in Johto.

Wally stepped out onto a thick branch and held out his hand. "It's not one hundred percent safe from here, so I can help you balance if you need it?"

Ruto thought about her many falls in the last few days and decided not to chance it. She grabbed Wally's hand and let him lead her toward a thicker branch without many leaves. Wally sat down on it, dangling his long legs above the ground, and Kaladin flew up beside him. Poochyena grunted quietly, not comfortable being up this high, so he buried himself inside of Wally's backpack and closed his eyes.

Ruto slowly tried to sit down, and gasped as her foot slipped from the rough bark. She leaned backwards, about to hit her head on a branch, or worse, the ground. She felt Wally grab her shoulders and steady her, though her eyes were closed from fright. She wobbled, still standing on one foot, and slowly opened her eyes. Wally helped her sit back down and looked at the ground, ashamed.

"I shouldn't have brought you up here, it's dangerous," he muttered. "And you aren't the most balanced person in the world," he added. "No offense."

Ruto was about to agree, when she looked up from the branch that was her lifeline and saw the amazing view that came from being so high up. She gasped quietly, and took in the beauty.

In front of them was a clearing in the branches that made it possible to see all around the treehouse. Ruto saw a couple of zigzagoons dance around each other and climb the tree next to theirs. A young taillow sang to its mom as she searched for food in the tree. A lone lotad waded through a still pond, surrounded by a circle of ripples.

Ruto looked up from the ground and watched as a flock of swablu and altaria flew past through the clouds. She was thankful that she had borrowed Ralis' book of Hoenn pokemon, or else she would have had no idea what any of these strange creatures were called.

"All of the climbing is worth it for the view, I think," Wally remarked. "My dad built the plank ladder and the platform for me before he died. This treehouse, though unfinished, is the last project that we worked on together. The fresh air up here helps with my breathing too, and the view in itself is worth a trip through the woods."

Ruto glanced away from the beautiful scene in front of her and looked at Wally. His father must've passed away a while back, because he didn't seem to be sad, just thoughtful. Telling him that she was sorry for his loss didn't seem appropriate.

"What was he like?" She asked instead. "He must've been pretty great to help you build a treehouse out here."

Wally smiled, seemingly lost in thought. "He had green hair like mine, but shorter. He also had black-brown eyes and a kind face. He wasn't really a people person, but he was very close to my mom and I. He also had a very loyal pokemon. They were always together, and they passed away in the same accident. Some people blamed the pokemon for my father's death, saying that he was bad luck." He glanced up at the passing flock of bird pokemon and paused. "I don't believe that though."

Ruto tilted her head, wondering what kind of pokemon he was talking about. She had only memorized the basic ones from Ralis' book, so chances are she wouldn't recognize the name even if he told her.

"Anyway, it's getting close to lunch, so I better get you home," Wally concluded.

Ruto nodded. Her mom and Ralis would be waiting for her, and she was a bit hungry. She stood up, and slowly the two teens made it down from the tree. When she was safely on the ground, Ruto glanced at Wally's backpack.

"What do you plan on doing with that poochyena?" She asked. Poochena had curled up inside the bag and only his tail was visible through the opening.

"I almost forgot about him!" Wally gasped. He opened his backpack and set it on the ground, waiting for poochyena to crawl out. Poochyena poked his head out of the opening and glared, obviously annoyed that he had been woken from his nap. He growled quietly before pulling his head back into the opening and tucking his nose under his tail tip.

"I guess he could hang out at my house today!" Wally said excitedly. "I mean, he could leave whenever he wanted, so it would be okay, I think!"

Ruto smiled, glad to see her friend so happy. "That's a great idea!" She responded. "Poochyena really seems to like you, so there shouldn't be any problems!"

Wally picked up his backpack and Kaladin flew over to sniff poochyena. He seemed content with his observations, so he settled down on top of the bag, bouncing up and down to the rhythm of Wally's footsteps.

The two teens reached the edge of the forest, and Wally walked Ruto the rest of the way home.

"So I guess I'll see you around?" He asked. "Tomorrow, maybe? I know there isn't much to do around here, but I'm sure we could find something, if you want."

Ruto was about to say "Of course, duh," but she remembered her mission to leave town and go on a journey with Kaladin.

"Um, yeah, if I don't have plans," she replied. "Thanks for taking me to your treehouse, it was really amazing."

Wally nodded, and Kaladin flew off of his backpack and onto Ruto's shoulder.

"Bye!" Ruto called as Wally walked toward his own house, poochyena hanging from his back. Poochyena woke up a bit and let out a farewell yawn to Kaladin and Ruto, then snuggled back into Wally's bag.

Ruto opened her front door and greeted her family. She took a deep breath and relaxed her tense shoulders. She was ready for her speech. She just hoped that they were ready too.


	6. She roasted you! Hahahahahaha!

**Hey guys! Sorry it's been so dang long, but I've been in the middle of a bunch of drama lately, which is one of my least favorite things in the world! Anyway, this chapter takes a turn, so I hope you guys like it and hopefully I can update again pretty soon! :)**

* * *

It was time for the ultimate showdown.

It was time to use the teddiursa eyes.

Ruto mentally prepared herself for the most epic argument of her life.

"Hey Ruto!" Mrs. Zora said cheerfully. "Did you have fun with your friend?"

Ruto nodded, and glanced at Ralis. He would back her up, wouldn't he? He had at least agreed with her idea of traveling. She figured she could count on him.

"So," Mrs. Zora began, "Ralis tells me that you want to go on a journey to train pokemon?"

Ruto's jaw dropped, and she shot a seething glare at her brother. How could he tell on her like that?!

Ralis looked down at the couch he was sitting on and a hint of pink crept into his cheeks. "I was only trying to help, Ruto…"

Ruto shook her head. It didn't matter. She was having a hard time finding a way to bring up the topic anyway. She looked at her mom, trying to read her expression. What was she thinking?

Mrs. Zora met her daughter's eyes. "Well?"

Ruto let out a deep breath, and spilled what she had been keeping inside of her for so long.

"Well, I'm fifteen now, and I have a nice pokemon..." At this, Kaladin interrupted, screeching with agreement. Ruto waited patiently for him to calm down.

"And I'm very responsible, I think, and, uh, my dream is to become a great pokemon trainer so this would help a lot toward that goal… and Ralis agrees with me also!" She finished, breathing fast and nervously. Her mom just laughed.

"Ruto, hun, your father and I have been talking this over for a long time now, and we know that you're old enough, and responsible. Of course you can go, I can tell that you're ready!" Mrs. Zora opened her arms for a hug, and Ruto gladly gave her one. She couldn't believe it! She was finally going on an adventure!

Mrs. Zora wiped her eyes, a single tear escaping down her cheek. She knew with certainty that Ruto was ready, but she couldn't say the same for herself. Her little girl, going out into the world. It was very difficult for her to grasp.

"Aw, mom, don't cry!" Ruto protested. "I'll come back and visit, I promise! Plus you'll still have Ralis and Dad to keep you company at home!"

Mrs. Zora nodded. She had to put on a brave face for her daughter, who didn't need her mom holding her back from her dreams. She smiled. "I'm so proud of you baby."

* * *

Later that evening, Ruto sat outside of her house looking at the moon. Kaladin dozed on her shoulder, oddly sleepy for a nocturnal pokemon. Ruto scratched his ears and smiled. She was so glad to have met this zubat.

A noise to her left caught her attention, and she slowly stood up. A figure in red was making its way toward the Pokemon Lab, quietly enough to arouse suspicion. A small silhouette followed the humanoid figure, perhaps a pokemon, but Ruto was too far away to know.

Ruto tip-toed behind the mysterious burglar/ninja/sleepwalker person, trying to figure out what he or she was up to. She kept her distance, but didn't let the figure escape her sight.

It's definitely a girl, Ruto thought. She wasn't sure how, but she knew. The shadow girl stopped in front of the Pokemon Lab, her small pokemon following close behind her. Ruto watched from behind a wide bush, trying not to make too much noise. This was difficult, however, because of her clumsy zubat. Kaladin swayed on her shoulder, trying to balance, but he still nearly fell into the bush every two seconds.

The girl in red stood beneath a dark window, and her small pokemon climbed onto her shoulder. A nearby streetlight's glow revealed that it was a zigzagoon, but it's color seemed a bit off. It looked kind of… golden? Weren't zigzagoons supposed to be brown?

The golden zigzagoon reached a claw up to the window and slid it under the frame. It skillfully maneuvered the latch and the girl lifted the glass until it slid upward. The window made a _shhhh_ noise, which only made the situation seem more dramatic. The girl climbed up and through the opening, her zigzagoon on her shoulder, and was lost from sight.

"Oh no you don't," Ruto whispered. "You're not gonna steal anything from this town."

She made her way over to the crime scene and held Kaladin up to the window.

"Kal, check and see if the girl is in sight," Ruto ordered. "There's nothing suspicious about a zubat at night, so even if she sees you, you'll be fine."

Kaladin grunted but obeyed. He hovered through the window and looked around. After a few seconds, he turned back to Ruto and nodded. The coast was clear.

Ruto climbed through the window and silently dropped to the tiled floor below. She gave herself a brief moment of satisfaction for not falling or making a ton of noise. This was truly an accomplishment.

A quiet sound to her right brought her back to alert mode. A haunting purple light was dancing across the end of a long hallway, playfully skipping in and out of sight. Ruto crept silently down the passageway, eager to find out who the shadow girl was, and what she was up to.

Kaladin flapped his wings silently and followed Ruto through the half-dark corridor. He was very confused, but he was curious about the strangers as well, so he kept going energetically. As Ruto came to the corner of the hallway, she stopped and peeked around the wall. The girl and her zigzagoon were shuffling through some papers on a desk. A vulpix was letting out will-o-wisps nearby, which floated through the air and lit the room with a ghostly purple glow.

Surprisingly, Ruto didn't recognize the girl. She was obviously not from Littleroot, and she seemed to be sporting what looked like a uniform. The red outfit included shorts and a long-sleeved shirt with an "M" logo on the front. There was an attached hood with small horns poking out, and it was currently hiding the girl's face. Her short purple hair stuck past it at odd angles, and her boots looked a few sizes too big for her. Ruto wondered who she was, and felt like she might've seen the logo somewhere before. She just couldn't put her finger on it.

The girl flipped through some more pages and grunted in frustration. "Great!" She mumbled. "It's only been a week since I was hired and I'm already messing up!" She got up, stretching, and noticed Ruto leaning on the wall.

"Gah!" She gasped. "Who are you?"

Ruto frowned. "I could ask you the same question, Riding Hood. Breaking into the Pokemon Lab? You must've had something really crazy for breakfast to think up this one."

The violet-haired girl cracked a smile. "Just doing my job. Get lost before I have to take you down. Wouldn't want to hurt a poor school girl that just wants to play hero."

The mysterious girl waved her arm, and suddenly, the purple lights vanished. Surrounded by darkness, Ruto couldn't help but let out a gasp.

Suddenly, she was shoved into a wall, and she felt a rope slip around her hands. Her head spun, and she saw the glowing form of vulpix standing on her lap. It smirked, and let a purple spark escape its lips. The last thing Ruto heard was Kaladin screeching, then the will-o-wisp swirled around her head and she was out.

* * *

 **So, how'd you like that one? Yes, Ruto got burned, or roasted if you prefer the popular new slang. I'm sure she'll be fine...**

 **Anyway, if you liked it please leave a review because they really make me want to write more! And thanks guys, I'll try to update again as soon as possible!**


	7. Treecko, Torchic, or Mudkip?

**Here's another chapter, dedicated to my friends who let me have their food. Thanks guys.**

* * *

A splitting headache woke Ruto from her stupor. Darkness surrounded her, but she was not afraid.

Just very, very confused.

Where was she? No idea.

Was it day or night? Was she even alive?

These questions battled each other in her brain and Ruto forced herself to relax before her headache got even worse. She tried to move her hands, but they were bound behind her back.

That's weird, she thought.

Suddenly, realization struck her and a pair of glowing eyes surfaced from her memory. There had been a girl… and some pokemon… and they had broken into the lab. She remembered the vulpix attacking her, and Kaladin shrieking… wait.

"KALADIN!" Ruto screamed. "WHERE ARE YOU?"

What if the girl had taken Kaladin, or worse? She couldn't bear to think about it, so she continued calling his name, over and over.

There was no response.

The darkness was slowly suffocating her, and Ruto flailed around trying to escape her bonds. A noise to her left caught her attention and she stilled, trying to hear the sound better.

The flapping of small wings could be heard and Ruto let out a sigh of relief. It was surely Kaladin. He was alright after all.

Voices came from the same direction, but Ruto couldn't identify them. Her headache didn't help much, and everything sounded similar to a very loud mumble. She heard the sound of a door opening, and the voices got louder. The tell-tale sound of a screeching zubat was heard, and a few seconds later Ruto felt the presence of Kaladin on her shoulder. He snuggled into her hair and she smiled, wondering who he had brought with him to rescue her.

The lights were flicked on, and a whole new blinding pain was inflicted upon Ruto. She almost screamed, but bit her tongue as her eyes fogged over and her head exploded. She tried to block out the light with her arms, but her hands were still tied. Ruto hissed in pain and bowed her head, trying to avoid the light, and the pain that came with it.

The artificial light soon shut off and concerned voices surrounded her. She recognized a few of them, but others were not familiar at all.

"Ruto!" Ralis whisper-yelled, trying not to alarm her, "What happened? Are you okay?"

A second voice spoke up, this one unfamiliar. "Can someone please explain to me what's going on? Is this girl alright?"

A cold hand grabbed Ruto's arm, and she felt the ropes loosen. Her headache died down to a dull roar and she leaned back against the wall, massaging her swollen wrists.

The room was pitch black, and Ruto wondered how anyone could've untied the complicated knots around her wrists without the light. The person tried to help her up, but it took a few tries for her to regain her balance.

"Could we turn on the lights, please? Not all of us like zubats enough to act like one." The unfamiliar voice from earlier echoed across the stone walls, loud enough to make Ruto cringe. She covered her eyes, waiting for the harsh light to attack her again.

The light returned, and Ruto gritted her teeth. She felt the person nearest to her put a hand on her shoulder.

"There's something wrong with her eyes!" Wally spun her around (good thinking Wally, that'll help her headache) and wrapped something around her head. Instantly, darkness returned and Ruto let out a sigh of relief.

"Now someone PLEASE tell me what's going on!?" The voice was obviously a man's, but Ruto didn't care anymore. She just wished he would STOP YELLING!

A voice Ruto recognized as her mom's asked her if she was okay. Ruto nodded, but she honestly just wanted to get home.

Wally cleared his throat. "I'll try to explain what I know. Ruto went missing last night, and her parents organized a search party. After a while, everyone went to sleep, hoping that she'd turn up in the morning. Half an hour ago, Kaladin woke me up and was freaking out so I woke up your family and we followed him here," Wally coughed and took a breath. "We had to get Professor Birch to unlock the doors, so that's why we took so long."

Ruto felt everyone staring at her, so she took a deep breath and told her side of the story.

* * *

After she was done, a million questions were fired back at her. Did she know the girl? Why would she go after a shady character by herself? Why were her eyes still hurting?

Ruto sighed and repeated that she didn't know who the girl was, she wasn't thinking, and she had no idea why her eyes had declared mutiny on her body. Everyone finally settled down, but the drama was beginning to overwhelm her.

Ralis grabbed her hand and squeezed. "It'll be alright Ruto. You'll be okay."

This made her feel much better, and she squeezed his hand back. "I know Ralis. It'll all turn out fine."

The unfamiliar man, who Ruto assumed was Professor Birch, cleared his throat.

"Now that that's all taken care of, let me introduce myself. I'm Professor Birch, and I own this fine establishment. I sell starter pokemon, only the best of course. I understand that you tried to stop my lab from being robbed?" He looked proudly at Ruto, though she obviously couldn't see him.

"I did." She answered simply.

Professor Birch waited for an explanation, but Ruto didn't think that she needed one. She just did what anyone would've done… right?

"Hmm…" Professor Birch mumbled. "You're a strange one, not like the kids who usually come around for pokemon. I know! I'll give you a pokemon for free to reward your bravery!" He smiled to himself, nodding at his amazing generosity.

Ruto thought about it. She hadn't even started training Kaladin yet, so was she ready for another pokemon? After a moment, she shrugged. "Thanks Professor, but you don't have to. I have a pokemon already, and he's great. It would be great to have another pokemon, but…" She stopped suddenly. "I changed my mind! Thanks so much Professor!"

Stunned by her sudden change of heart, Professor Birch led Ruto to the table where he kept the pokemon. He released the first two from their pokeballs, but the third pokeball was missing.

"I guess we know what the witch took," He muttered. "That poor torchic is gonna have a rough time ahead."

Ruto remembered the girl shuffling through the papers yesterday. She couldn't have only come for the torchic, or else she would've just grabbed it and left. Hmm. What _was_ she looking for?

Professor Birch walked over to a cabinet and pulled another pokeball from inside it. "Here's another torchic, if you wanted that one. There's also the grass type, treecko, and the water type, mudkip. Take your pick."

"Wally?" Ruto called. He was beside her in an instant. "I need to ask you something before I choose."

Confused, Wally nodded, then realized that Ruto couldn't see him. "Okay."

"Can you lead me outside? I need some fresh air." After hearing the pokemon professor sigh in annoyance, Ruto added, "Don't worry, we won't be long, I promise!"

Wally attempted to steer Ruto around the many tables in the lab, but after a while he gave up and just grabbed her hand. Ruto felt him pulling her beside him, and soon they were outside in a cool breeze.

"What time is it?" She asked.

"It's probably around six in the morning," Wally yawned. "The sunrise is at it's end, I think."

Ruto nodded. "So," she began, "which pokemon are you going to get?"

She heard Wally quietly gasp beside her. "What do you mean which pokemon am I going to get?"

"You heard me." Ruto smirked. "I don't need another Pokemon. Not yet. But I do need a traveling partner. When my eyes get better, which I assume they will soon, I'm going on a journey. I want you to come with me."

Wally stiffened, and Ruto felt his hand holding tighter to hers. "You're serious? You're giving me your pokemon?"

Ruto nodded happily. "Is it a deal? Will you come with me?"

For a while, Wally was silent. Suddenly, he slipped his hand out of Ruto's and hesitated before wrapping his arms around her. Surprised, she hugged him back. They stood like that for a few seconds, until a loud voice boomed, "Hurry up child, I haven't got all day!"

Ruto and Wally both jumped, and they followed Professor Birch back inside.

"Well?" He asked. "Have you made up your mind yet?"

Ruto nodded and Wally pulled her over to the table, his hand in hers once again. She reached out her other hand and felt a pokemon that was covered in… feathers? That must be torchic.

"What do you think of this pokemon, Wally?" She asked nonchalantly.

"Hmm…" He looked it over closely. "It looks a bit girly, I think. "

Ruto moved on to the next pokemon and felt a scaly head. Treecko.

"How 'bout this 'un?"

Wally squeezed her hand. "It looks so cool!"

"I'll take it!" Ruto informed the professor. "This one is surely perfect!"

Professor Birch nodded. "Treecko, eh? A good choice." Ruto heard a whooshing sound, and a pokeball was placed in her free hand.

"Make sure he's well taken care of," the professor requested. "Pokemon are living creatures and deserve to be treated with respect."

Ruto nodded her head. "Don't worry Professor, he's in good hands."

And just like that, Ruto's pokemon journey had begun.

* * *

 **So now Wally has a pokemon! Isn't it great?! I need ideas for what he should name him (it's a boy) so if you have a suggestion, leave a review! :D Thanks for your support guys!**


	8. Phoenix is a weird name

**Hey guys! It's been too long, I've just had some writer's block. Don't worry though, I'm over it, and I'll surely post more often now. I hope you like this chapter cause it's getting increasingly difficult to write from a blind person's pov. Thanks for all of your support!:)**

* * *

Though she was currently blind, Ruto couldn't seem to think of the last few days as the worst days of her life. She was really close to heading out on her journey, and Wally was going to come with her! They both had pokemon, and she was just too excited to be brought down. Her eyes would heal eventually, right?

She did wish that she could've seen the look on Wally's face when she offered to give him her pokemon.

Ruto felt the change in the air, and realized that her dad had opened the door to her house. She held onto Ralis' hand and followed his footsteps through the doorway. She let go and felt along the walls, certain that her family was watching her in pity. She eventually made it to her room, and Kaladin hopped off of her shoulder.

"I don't know how you do it buddy," Ruto sighed. "It's embarrassing enough to have my parents following me around everywhere. The problem is, I seriously doubt I could get around without them!"

It had been two days since she had been found in the lab, and Ruto had been put on a strict watch. She wasn't allowed to leave the house without her parents (not that she could get far anyway), and she couldn't even go near the kitchen. That rule seemed stupid to her. What was she going to do, accidentally fall inside of the microwave and simultaneously turn it on? Her parents were scared that she would fall on something sharp, which was sort of understandable because of Ruto's clumsiness, but Ruto felt that this was a bit of a stretch. A bit of a ginormous insulting stretch.

Kaladin fluttered around as Ruto's mind wandered off. She was kind of upset that she hadn't seen Wally since she gave him the treecko, but surely he had good reasons for not visiting?

She let out a sigh. The last few days had been miserable, and she was tired of depending on everyone for every little thing. To top it off, her best friend was nowhere to be seen… or heard, if you want to be precise.

A sound echoed off the wall, and Ruto jumped. Kaladin however remained completely calm as Ruto felt around her wall, trying to figure out where the sound was coming from. A few seconds later, it was obvious. Someone was knocking on her window.

Ruto felt around until she heard the latch click and pushed the window open. Kaladin flew to her bedroom door and pushed it closed with a few nudges. Even he felt as if something secret was about to happen.

The window slid up until it stopped against the frame. The sound of wind filled the room, and a warm gust caused Ruto's hair to slap around her face. "Who's there…?" She asked cautiously.

"Tree treecko tree!"

Ruto smiled to herself and held her arm out the window. Wally's treecko climbed up her shoulder and surprisingly, gave her a hug. Did pokemon usually hug people?

Kaladin flapped his wings and landed on Ruto's other shoulder, wanting to protect his territory. He grumbled, mumbling "zuuu… zubat," under his breath. That stupid treecko had taken his favorite shoulder.

"Soo," Ruto began, "Is it just treecko, or…"

"Nah, I'm here too," Wally informed her, leaning on the window frame. "Of course I'm here."

Annoyed, Ruto sighed. "Took you long enough. I've been bored out of my mind! It would've been nice if you came to visit sooner…"

Wally hung his head. "I know, and I'm sorry. Things came up, and I've been super busy. I came as soon as I could."

"What are you talking about?" Ruto asked, concerned. "What's going on?"

Wally shook his head. "A lot of nonsense. It's dumb."

"Come on, now you have to tell me!"

"Alright, alright. I told you how my dad and his pokemon died, right?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

Wally coughed a few times and took a deep breath. "Well, some people think that it was the pokemon's fault that he died. My mom is one of those people. There's a reason you've never seen her, and it's because she's too scared of pokemon to come outside."

"Then how in the world did you convince her to let poochyena stay with you?" Ruto asked, confused.

Wally grimaced. "I didn't. He's been staying in my shed. He left a few days ago 'cause he missed the forest."

Ruto didn't know whether to be upset about this or not. Wally seemed to really like poochyena.

"Why don't you come in here?" She asked. "I can't really remember if my room is clean or not, so sorry if it's a pigsty."

She climbed off of her bed, as her window was above it, and tried to not look too awkward standing by the wall. Wally climbed through the window and sat down at Ruto's desk.

"Nice Elite Four Poster," he observed. "I used to have one kind of like that."

Ruto blushed. Why did she think this was a good idea?

"Soo, you never finished your story…"

"Oh alright," Wally protested. "If you really want to know, I brought Phoenix home…"

"Wait," Ruto interrupted. "Who is Phoenix?"

"Duh, he's my treecko."

"What?!" Ruto laughed. "You named a grass type pokemon after a mythical fire-bird?"

"Yeah," Wally grumbled. "It sounds cool…"

"Okay, okay," Ruto giggled. "Please continue."

"So, as I said, I brought Phoenix home, and as I was bringing him into my room my mom saw him and had a panic attack. She told me to get rid of him and I refused, so she kind of kicked me out of the house." Wally shifted his feet, embarrassed. "I've been cleaning up the treehouse and staying there for the last two days."

Stunned, Ruto hesitated. "She… seriously kicked you out?"

Wally nodded. "Her fear of pokemon has taken over, and since I have one now she wants to distance herself from me. It's partially because she's scared of Phoenix, but it's also because she doesn't want to see me get hurt by him. She's just trying to make me let him go."

Ruto sat down on the floor, tired of just standing there awkwardly. "I don't know what to say. That's terrible. I can't imagine how that must feel…"

Wally was about to reply, when a knock sounded on Ruto's door. Ruto froze, and the door creaked open.

"Hey Ruto, are you alright?" Her dad asked. He walked into the room and patted her on the shoulder. "I thought I heard you talking to someone."

Confused, Ruto shook her head. Had Wally really jumped out the window that quickly? Maybe he was secretly a ninja.

"Anyway, dinner is almost ready so come in the kitchen in a few minutes," Ruto's dad said, turning to leave.

"Wait… what is that?"

Ruto stiffened. What was he talking about?

He walked over to her bed and picked something up. "Did you get a new doll?"

"Treecko treecko tree!"

Yikes.

"Gahh!" Ruto's dad dropped Phoenix and stepped back. "Why is there a pokemon in here? I thought you only had Kaladin!"

Ruto shrugged her shoulders. "He must've climbed in the window. I'm sure that's what happened."

Phoenix jumped onto Ruto's shoulder playfully and gave her another hug. He then took off and jumped out the window.

Ruto's dad shook his head. "Just come downstairs soon, okay?"

Ruto nodded, and he left her alone, shutting the door. After a minute or so, Ruto went back toward her bed and stuck her head out the window.

"Are you still here?"

"Treecko-tree."

"Wally?"

"Pre-sent."

Ruto smiled. "I have to go eat dinner. If you want, you're welcome to join me. That is, if you use the front door."

Wally shrugged. "Okay, if that's fine with your parents."

* * *

A few minutes later, Ruto sat down at the dinner table, trying to guess what they were having. It seemed logical to smell it, but Ruto's mom's cooking always smelled a little burnt. So that wouldn't help much.

Ruto's dad cleared his throat. "So, Wally, Ruto tells me that you plan on joining her on her quest?"

Wally nodded nervously. "Yes sir. I think she would definitely be safer if she wasn't alone."

"I see your point," Ruto's dad reasoned, "But I'm not sure I like the idea of her going alone with a boy."

Ruto blushed. "Dad! We're just friends!"

Wally was silent for a moment, then replied "I understand sir. But I don't see what can be done about it unless we can find someone else to go with us. I really don't want Ruto travelling alone."

Everyone became lost in thought, trying to find some way to fix this problem.

"Well…" Ruto's mom began, "Maybe Ralis could go with you…?"

Ralis immediately beamed. "Yes! I want to go!"

Ruto laughed. "That would be great, but is that really okay? He's only six, after all."

Ralis pouted. "Maybe I'm six, but I'm a mature six-year-old! E=mc^2, alright?"

Ruto's parents looked at each other and nodded. Ralis was probably mature enough for this, and he would be devastated if he was separated from his sister for a long period of time.

"Ralis can go," Ruto's mom announced. "He would not do well without you, Ruto."

Surprised, Ruto smiled. Ralis coming along would definitely make the trip so much better. She would still miss her parents, but it would be easier now.

"Everyone's okay with this arrangement?" Ruto asked.

Wally, Ralis, and her parents all agreed, so she nodded.

It was all gonna work out. For sure, and without a doubt or hesitation. Supposedly.

* * *

 **I hope you liked this chapter, and any feedback or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks ;)**


	9. On the road, off the road

**Hey guys, it has been way too long, I'm sorry! I was away at camp, but I'm back now so yay!:) Here's my next chapter, and I really hope you like it! Especially you, Pokemonpoko XD, this is totally for you!**

* * *

Darkness got boring, especially after a few days. Ruto sighed and tied the bandana back around her eyes. When she opened them, all she could see was an ombre of black and very dark grey around the edges. At least it wasn't painful anymore. She felt around her room and grabbed her favorite blue cap, stuffing it into her bag. Ruto felt her hair swish to the side and Kaladin flew past her over and over again. He was obviously excited to leave.

A knock on her door caught Ruto's attention. "Who is it?" She called, setting her now full bag onto her bed.

"It's just me," her father replied. "I wanted to tell you goodbye 'cause I need to leave for work pretty soon."

Ruto turned toward her door and held out her arms for a hug. Her father embraced her, and she realized just how much she was going to miss him. He always knew what to say when she was down, and he was there for her when she needed him most. She couldn't have asked for a better father.

"I'm gonna miss you a ton," Ruto's father declared, voicing her own thoughts aloud. Her eyes teared up.

"I'm gonna miss you too Dad."

* * *

Ruto lugged her backpack into the kitchen and dropped it onto the couch. "Phew, that's heavy!" She panted.

"Honey, you can't possibly carry that thing around everywhere! It'll be too heavy! Take some stuff out, you won't need it," Ruto's mom advised (or ordered, depending on who you ask).

"Okay Mom, but I don't know how I can go without any of these things," Ruto argued. "I need this stuff!"

"Let's take a look Honey."

Ruto's mom went over to the couch and grabbed the bag from Ruto. "Okay, first of all, your stuffed cyndaquil takes up half the bag. Why don't you leave it here? It'll be waiting for you when you get back."

Ruto nodded reluctantly. "Okay…"

"I know you're not gonna want to hear this… but maybe you should limit yourself to bringing two or three books at most. Six is a bit much to carry, and you can't read them in your current condition anyway... also, you might as well leave the cds here, you won't have anything to play them on."

Ruto grimaced. "Not the cds too…"

"It's alright, Honey," Her mom encouraged, "You'll be having too much fun to care about books and cds!"

Ruto nodded. Her mom was right. "Thanks Mom, I don't know what I'm gonna do without you around. I'm gonna miss you so much."

Ruto's mom hugged her. "You'll do fine, I promise. Plus you'll have Ralis and Wally to keep you company. You're gonna have so much fun!"

Ruto nodded. "I'm gonna go put some stuff back in my room, then Ralis and I should probably go. I told Wally I'd meet him at eleven on Route 101."

"Okay Ruto, but Ralis has already said his goodbyes and left so you don't need to worry about him." Ruto's mom smiled. "Bye Ruto, have fun on your adventure. And tell me if you need help getting to Route 101."

* * *

After a bit of wandering around aimlessly, a voice sounded through the air and Ruto sighed in relief.

"Hey Ruto, over here! Why are you walking by yourself?"

Ruto made a face and answered, "Because, Kaladin was supposed to help me, but he's terrible at giving directions! Now come get me please, I'm tired of walking around in circles like an idiot!"

Kaladin swayed on her shoulder, snickering. He had tried his best, but somehow Ruto had nearly walked into the forest. Twice.

Ruto heard Ralis laughing, and felt him tug on her hand. "This way, Ruto!"

As Ruto walked forward, she felt a change in the ground beneath her feet. Rocks crunched under her shoes, and she realized that she must be on Route 101. A feeling of excitement rose within her, and she put a spring in her step. Kaladin flew above her, and smiled at her change in attitude. This was definitely a day to be excited for.

As Ruto was bouncing along, she felt Ralis's hand slip out of hers and heard him running up ahead. "What's going on?" She asked.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and immediately knew it was Wally.

"Hey. Ralis ran up ahead to look at something. Do you… want me to hold your hand?"

Ruto froze and Wally automatically started stuttering, "I m-mean, just so you won't walk off the path or something..."

Ruto silently took his hand in hers and they continued walking without another word. She could imagine Wally blushing, and wished that he couldn't see her doing the same.

"Hey guys! I found a zigzagoon in this tree! Maybe we should battle it!" Ralis jumped up and down excitedly, the noise causing the ground to thump. If he noticed Ruto and Wally holding hands, he didn't seem to think anything of it.

"Sure," Wally agreed, and Phoenix jumped off of his shoulder, taking up a battle stance. The zigzagoon slowly climbed down from the tree and shot a sneer at the treecko, as if saying "Good luck newb, I've been doin' this for years."

Still holding Ruto's hand, Wally decided to make the first move. "Phoenix, use pound!"

Phoenix sprang up and spun in a circle, hitting the zigzagoon with his tail. The wild zigzagoon fell back a few feet, then charged at Phoenix with a tackle attack.

"Treecko tree!"

Phoenix flipped sideways and avoided the attack, crossing his arms and smirking.

"Wow Wally!" Ralis gasped in awe. "Your treecko is like a ninja!"

Wally nodded, impressed with his new pokemon, and shouted, "Phoenix, use leer!"

The wild zigzagoon backed away as Phoenix stood over him, his eyes glowing. His arms were crossed nonchalantly, as if he had this battle in the bag. The zigzagoon trembled and in a last effort lunged toward Phoenix again, knocking him over. Phoenix quickly got up, and swished his tail, waiting for Wally to give him his next order.

"Phoenix! Finish this with absorb!"

Phoenix grinned as a glowing light crept from the zigzagoon and floated toward him. The zigzagoon fell over and groaned, unable to continue the battle.

"Yes!" Wally yelled, "We won!"

Phoenix jumped up and down excitedly, glad that his first battle had been a victory. He crept over to the zigzagoon and nudged its shoulder. "Treecko treecko?"

The zigzagoon huffed and slowly stood up. He glared at the travelers and turned his nose up at them. After a minute he began to creep away, already feeling well enough to be on his way.

"Well," Wally declared, "That was a great first battle!"

Ruto could imagine how awesome it would've been to watch, but Ralis had told her every detail while it was happening anyway. She was really glad that he came.

After a few seconds, Ralis seemed to finally notice that Wally and Ruto were holding hands.

"Oh, sorry I left you Ruto! Do you want me to take her back Wally?

"HEY!" Ruto complained. "Don't talk about me like I'm a baby that needs watching over!"

Wally laughed. "That's okay Ralis, I'll keep her for a while!"

"Oh come on, not you too?!" Ruto let go of Wally's hand and crossed her arms. "I can walk by myself, thanks."

"I was just kidding…" Wally started, but he didn't get to finish, as Ruto started screaming.

"WHAT IS IN MY HAIR GET IT OFF GET IT OFF!" Ruto ran wildly, zipping on and off the path. Kaladin swung on her shoulder, hanging on for dear life. Distantly, Ruto heard Wally and Ralis calling for her, but she was too afraid to stop. She madly swiped at her hair, and to her dismay, she felt a rubbery body clinging to her head. "Let GOOO!" She cried in fear. She was sure it was a bug, it just had to be a bug!

Using another burst of energy, Ruto ran even faster, shaking her head all the while. She sobbed, unable to cope with her fear crawling through her hair. She was probably out of sight of Wally and Ralis now, so she wouldn't be getting much help from them. Kaladin hung upside down on her arm, too dizzy to be of any assistance. Ruto slowed down in defeat, too tired to put up much of a fight. She collapsed on the path, and as the bug squirmed in her hair, she tried to call for help. Her breathing was rapid, and she knew that she should calm down, but her irrational fear wouldn't let her.

"Zuuu…" Kaladin huffed. "Zubat zu."

Finally, weary from fatigue, Ruto felt herself relax. Unable to stay conscious, she passed out on the path.

The last thing she felt were arms around her.

Arms that picked her up, and carried her away.

* * *

 **Sooo... leave your thoughts in the comments, they are very much appreciated! :) Thanks guys, I couldn't do it without you.**


	10. At least we made it?

**Hey guys... I know I disappointed a lot of people by not posting for a while, but I finally got Microsoft Word back on my laptop so I can start posting again. I hope ya'll like this chapter, thanks guys.**

* * *

Ruto woke up to the sound of distant footsteps and muffled voices. It seemed as if she was in a bed, and she could vaguely sense light from the corners of her eyes. Her vision seemed to be getting better, if only a little. At first, she couldn't see anything, but now the edges of her vision let the smallest amount of light and color be seen.

"Where am I?" She asked, mostly to herself. To her surprise, she got a reply.

"Oh, you're awake? That's good. I'll be off now." A noise that sounded like a chair scratching the ground was heard, followed by footsteps and a door swinging open, and Ruto was left by herself. She wondered who the voice belonged to. It sounded like a boy, but she wasn't sure if she recognized him or not.

Oh well, it's not like that was the only thing that didn't make sense at this point.

Suddenly, the door swung open and a cheery voice giggled, "Hooray, you're awake! How do you feel?"

Ruto wasn't sure what to say. "Um… I'm fine I guess? I really don't know where I am or what's going on."

The cheery voice giggled some more. "Silly girl, you're at a Pokemon Center of course! That nice boy brought you here about half an hour ago, and you were out cold!"

Ruto took a deep breath and tried to remember what happened. There was something that scared her, right? Then she took off and tired herself out by running for an extended period. It must've been a bug in her hair, that was the only explanation.

The giggly lady smiled. "I'm Rhoni, a nurse that works here. What's your name?"

"I'm Ruto, from Littleroot Town," Ruto declared. "And I'm feeling much better now, so I think I'd better go. Thank you for your help."

Ruto stood up and felt a hand touch her shoulder, lightly pushing her back down.

"Sorry Ruto, but you and I both know that you are not in any condition to be leaving, especially alone. One of our doctors will see you soon, and maybe she can do something about your eye problem."

Ruto felt a surge of hope run through her. Perhaps the nurse was right, maybe the doctors really could help her.

Suddenly, the door burst open and Ruto heard a familiar voice.

"Ruto! We looked all over for you! How did you get all the way to Oldale Town?!"

Ruto smiled. "Ralis! I'm glad you found me! I guess someone brought me here after I passed out or something. That's what the nurse said."

Ralis hugged her, then the nurse told him that he had to leave for a while so the doctor could see Ruto. He reluctantly left, telling Ruto that he would be back soon.

Ruto wasn't sure if she was alone, but then Nurse Rhoni startled her, saying "Okay Ruto, I'm leaving and the doctor will be here shortly! I hope you get better soon."

Ruto thanked her, and heard the door click shut. She sat in silence for a minute, then heard the door creak open.

"That was fast," She said, waitiong for the doctor to introduce himself or herself.

The silence returned for a moment, then he spoke.

"You really scared me Ruto."

Ruto's heart turned in her chest. "Wally?"

Wally stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her, holding on with a sense of urgency. "I thought something really bad might've happened to you. I was so scared when we couldn't find you, I'm just glad that you're okay Ruto."

Ruto hugged him back, warmth spreading through her cheeks. Did he really care about her that much?

The door swung open again, and the real doctor came in.

"Now now," she cooed, "I need to see the patient, so visitors must wait outside please."

Ruto waited for Wally to get up, but he stayed where he was.

"I'll be quiet and not get in your way, I promise. Just please let me stay with Ruto."

The doctor nodded. "Very well, I suppose I can't separate two lovebirds for too long, just make sure you aren't disrupting me, okay?"

Ruto blushed, and she was sure Wally must be doing the same. Wally moved away, and the doctor stood in front of Ruto.

"I'm going to shine a light in your eyes, okay?"

Ruto saw a bright light dance at the edges of her vision, and wondered if the doctor really could help her.

The doctor nodded to herself, humming as she inspected Ruto's eyes.

"This was caused by a very bright light, correct?" She asked in a singsong voice.

"Right. A vulpix used will-o-wisp near my face, but I'm not sure if it burned me or what," Ruto answered.

"Okay then," The doctor smiled. "I have something for this, though it will need time to take full effect. I'll send a nurse in with your medicine."

Ruto's heart nearly skipped a beat. She was going to get her vision back! She turned her head to where Wally was previously sitting, wondering where he was now.

"Hey," Wally laughed, his voice coming from the other side of her. "I'm over here."

Ruto turned toward his voice and smiled.

"Of course you are. You ninjas tend to do that, don't you?"

"Only on special occasions," Wally laughed. "But seriously, I'm really glad that the doctors can help your eyes Ruto."

"Me too Wally," Ruto beamed. "I hope the medicine works fast."

Soon enough, Nurse Rhoni returned with Ruto's medicine and they were ushered to the front counter so that Ruto could pick up Kaladin.

"Zuuuu!" Kaladin whined, annoyed at being separated from Ruto for so long.

"I missed you too buddy!" Ruto gushed, "I'm so glad that you're okay! Sorry for freaking out like that."

"Zubat zu zu," Kaladin mumbled, letting Ruto know that she was forgiven.

Now that she had Kaladin, she let Ralis and Wally lead her out of the Pokemon Center. They stepped outside, and Ruto felt a slow breeze ruffle her hair.

"Well," she announced, "we made it to Oldale Town."

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed, please leave a review if you have any comments :) Thanks!**


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